IllustrationENGINE WOULD STALL OUT WHILE DRIVING. WOULD BE NO WARNING. WAS MAKING WEIRD NOISES. TOOK TO MECHANIC & WAS INFORMED THAT ENGINE WAS TOO BIG FOR VEHICLE. PART OF THE ENGINE WAS STICKING OUT OR OVERLAPPING. IT WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED.*AK
1998 Ford Escort
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Escort years
Owner complaints for the 1998 Ford Escort are substantially higher than the model-year median of 101.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Escort years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 57 of 375 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Air Bags. Review the 75 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 50 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 49 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
84 crash reports11 fire reports63 injury reports
What owners actually said
375 reportsWHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE THA TPULLED OUT IN FRONT OF CONSUMER. CONSUMER HIT THE BACK OF THE OTHER VEHICLE. UPON IMPACT, NONE OF THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED.*AK
VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A MOTOR MOUNT PROBLEM WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO VIBRATE, THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS, SO THE CONSUMER WAS ROLLED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE WHERE A GREAT DEAL OF MONEY WAS LOST. *SLC
VEHICLE DOESN'T GO INTO OVERDRIVE ABOUT 60%OF THE TIME. VEHICLE IN A HIGH SPEED AND IT WILL DROP OUT OF OVERDRIVE AND DRIVE. SHE HAS TO PULL OVER TO THE SGOULDERS TO MANUALLY PULL THE VEHICLE INTO DRIVE. *AK
WHEEL BEARING FAILED CAUSING THE WHEEL TO SHAKE AND SMOKE POOR OUT OF IT, CONSUMER ALSO HEARD SHREAKING SOUND. *SLC
VEHICLE MOVES WHILE FOOT IS ON THE BRAKE. CONSUMER TRIES TO BRAKE, AND FOOT GOES ALMOST TO THE FLOOR.*AK
THE ENGINE MOUNTS WERE APPARENTLY WEAKENED AND ALLOWED THE ENGINE TO VIBRATE EXCESSIVELY, BEGINNING AT THE TIME OF VEHICLE PURCHASE AND CONTINUING, GROWING WORSE, THROUGH APRIL 2000, WHEN I HAD THE PARTS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY; I WAS TOLD THAT THERE IS A TSB INVOLVING THEM BUT NO RECALL AND NO PUBLIC NOTICE... THIS COULD POTE…
Read full complaint
THE ENGINE MOUNTS WERE APPARENTLY WEAKENED AND ALLOWED THE ENGINE TO VIBRATE EXCESSIVELY, BEGINNING AT THE TIME OF VEHICLE PURCHASE AND CONTINUING, GROWING WORSE, THROUGH APRIL 2000, WHEN I HAD THE PARTS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY; I WAS TOLD THAT THERE IS A TSB INVOLVING THEM BUT NO RECALL AND NO PUBLIC NOTICE... THIS COULD POTENTIALLY BE DANGEROUS IF THE WEAKENED MOUNTS BREAK! MY PROBLEM HAS BEEN SOLVED BUT I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE HAD SOME WARNING FROM FORD OR NHTSA THAT THIS MIGHT OCCUR.
CONSUMERS VEHICLE WAS STRUCK FROM BEHIND & KNOCKED INTO VEHICLE IN FRONT. HOOD & HEADLIGHTS HAD TO BE REPLACED. 29-AUG-2000, ANOTHER VEHICLE STRUCK CONSUMER'S VEHICLE FROM THE SIDE, AND AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY. CONSUMER SPOKE WITH DIFFERENT DEALERS & GOT THE RUN AROUND. CONSUMERS WAS VERY CONCERNED IF IT WAS DEFECTIVE.*AK
THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AT THE POINT OF IMPACT. FRONT END COLLISION
NO SUMMARY
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1DP01001 · Air Bag NON-DEPLOYMENT
Opened Apr 19, 2001 · Closed Nov 1, 2001
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags
No summary supplied.